Fence-making machine



I (No Model.)

M 0. L. STULTING.

FENCE MAKING MAGHINE. No. 400,369; Patented Mar. 26,- 1889.

,NTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CALVIN LUTHER STULTING, OF STRIBLING SPRINGS, VIRGINIA.

FENCE-MAKING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 400,369, dated March 26, 1889. Application filed January 15,1889. Serial No. 296,4:3Gl (N model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CALVIN LUTHER SIULT- We, a citizen of the United States, residing at Stribling Springs, in the county of Augusta and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fence-Making Machines; and'I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as Will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the let ters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in fence-Inakin g machines of that class in which the pickets are bound between the strands and in which a tension device is employed; and it has for its object to construct a machine at once complete, compact, and durable, and very efficient in operation, and to improve upon the tension mechanism. The novelty in the present instance resides in the peculiarities of construction and in the combination, arrangement, and adaptation of parts, all as more fully hereinafter described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and then specifically defined in the appended claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference marked thereon,form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective View of a fencemaking machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a like view of the tension device with parts broken away. Fig. 3 is a similar View of one of the wire-twisters detached.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates the stretcher, which consists ofthe transverse sill-pieces a and a, connected together by the longitudinal bar a and one or both ofsaid sill-pieces are preferably provided with rollers, a to facilitate transportation. From the ends of the sillpiece' a rise the standards I), the upper ends of which are connected by the bar I) and braced by the inclined braces B, attached at their other end to the sill-piece a, as shown in Fig.' 1.

C is a shaft journaled vertically between the sill-piece a, and the bar I), and adapted to receive the hand-lever O, which is provided with a mortise in which fits the projected end of the shaft 0. This shaft is provided near the center of its length with a pin or stud, 0, designed to engage one end of the rope or ropes D, secured at the other end or ends to the tension device e. This stretcher is designed to be held in position by means of stakes c, driven into the ground in front of the sill-piece a, as shown; but of course it may be held in place in any other suitable manner.

F is a chain or, if preferred,a rope,secured at one end to one of the standards or other fixed part of the frame of the stretcher, and its other end designed to engage'one of the pins or projections d on the shaft 0 to prevent rotation of said shaft when desired.

The tension device E consists of the two uprights e and e, secured at a suitable distance apart by means of the bars 6 strengthened by the strap-bands e, and also near the center by a similar strap-band, e. The bars 6 are each provided with a hole, 6 to receive the tension-rod F, and between the said bars I secure the blocks f and the piece g, which latter should be perforated, as shown, to permit the passage of the tension-rod F. The side bars or uprights, e and e, of the tension device are provided with notches, h, upon their edges to receive the wires, and the up right e with hooks or half-staples, 1. Of course the number of notches and of hooks will depend upon the number of wires used.

H is a gage strung upon the wires and provided upon its edges with hooks or half-staples H.

I and I are the twisters, each of which consists of a piece of suitable material provided at each end with a slot, 1, terminating at its inner end in an enlarged recess, 41, and a tapered pin or handle, J, passed through the body of the twister at right angles to the slots, as shown.

The operation is simple and apparent. The strands of the wire are twisted around the pickets or panels in the usual manner, the twisters being readily slipped along on the wires after each picket is secured. The rod F is inserted, as shown in Fig.2, from the top of the device downward, the wires having first been drawn across each other, as shown in Fig. 1. The size of the rod regulates the tension, the larger the rod of course the greater will be the tension. The wires are easily locked, so as to prevent the wires from slippling when it is desired to strain several rods before stapling the fence to the posts after it has been built by the machine by simply securing the wires to the hooks i on the bar or upright e.

The tension device above described is not affected by the weather, working as well in wet as in dry seasons.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a machine for the purpose specified, a twister comprising a body formed at each end with a slot extending lengthwise of said body, and with a handle passed through said body at right angles to said slots, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a device for the purpose described, a tension device consisting of the two uprights,

the bars 6 at the ends of said uprights between the same, the piece 9 between said uprights near the center thereof, the strap-bands around said uprights at the ends and center, and the tension-rod 1*",rernovably inserted through openings in said bars 6 and piece 91, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a device for the purpose specified, the tension device described, composed of the two uprights e and e, formed upon their opposite edges with the notches h, the end bars, 6 the central piece, g, the strap-bands, the vertical removable tension-bar F, passed through openings in the end bars and piece g, and the hooks in the edges of the upright c, all substantially as shown, and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CALVIN LUTHER STULTING.

Witnesses:

JOHN H. SILLING, W. B. HAMRICK. 

